Towel-rack.



A. BIRDSLEY. TOWEL RACK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1913.

1,067,581 Patented July 15, 1913.

Atto rn eys Witnesses ARTHUR BIRDSLEY, OF LYONS, IOWA.

TOWEL-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1913.

Application filed February 1'7, 1913. Serial No. 749,017..

To all whom t may conce/m Be it known that I, ARTHUR BinnsLnY, a citizenof the United States, residing at Lyons, in the county of Clinton andState of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Towel-Rack, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention appertains to a rack for drying clothes, and otherfabrics or textiles and aims primarily to provide a novel and improveddevice of this character, and particularly one which may be attached toa. stove pipe in a peculiar' manner so as to support the articles,adjacent the pipe or over the stove.

It is also the object of the present inven tion to provide an applianceof the character indicated which shall have means for en` gaging theprotruding ends of a damper rod journaled through the stove pipe inorder to support the device effectively from the stove, and in orderthat the device may be readily attached and detached to and from thepipe.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rack embodying aplurality of article supporting arms, which may be extendedso as toproject horizontally from the stove pipe, and which may be folded so asto lie approximately alongside or parallel with the stove pipe, the armsbeing adapted to swing when extended and lying in a compact cluster orwithin a small compass when folded or retracted.

This invention also aims to provide a device of the character indicatedwhich shall be simple, substantial, durable, compact and inexpensive inconstruction, as well as being convenient, serviceable and efficient inits use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in t-he preciseembodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope ofwhat is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention has been illustrated in its preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawing, wherein c- Figure 1 is a perspective view of thedevice as applied to a stove pipe, a fragment of the latter only beingshown. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the device, parts being brokenaway. F ig. 3 is a plan view of the device, parts being broken away andthe article supporting arms being removed.

Referring specifically to the drawing, the improved rack embodies anangle plate d bent from sheet metal or other suitable stock, the upperor horizontal flange 5 of which carries a central rivet, bolt or othersecuring member 6 and has its outer end rounded or curved. This liange 5is also provided with a series of apertures 7 adjoining its edges andpreferably disposed in an arcuate line having the securing member 6 as acenter. Through the apertures 7 are engaged the off set ends S of thearticle supporting' arms or rods 9, which arms or rods have their otheror outer ends formed into eyes l0. The oftl set ends 8 of the arms orrods engaging through the respective apertures 7 will permit the arms toswing freely so that they may be properly arranged to most effectivelydry the articles supported thereby, and in order to permit the articlesto be readily placed thereon. When the arms are not in use, they may becompactly folded or retracted by raising them and permitting them t-oslide downwardly through the aper tures 7 until the eyes 10 at theirfree ends seat on the flange 5 of the angle plate. In this manner, oneor more or all of the supporting arms may be extended or retracted, thearms being independent, but it being possible to extend and retract thesame simultaneously or independently. The other or depending flange l1of the angle plate is adapted to seat or rest against the stove pipe andis provided with an opening or slot 12 adjoining the bend or corner ofthe angle plate, a wire loop 13 bearing against the lower face orunderside of the flange 5 and having it-s throat passing through theopening 12. The securing member 6 is engaged through the bight of theloop 13 so that the loop is firmly locked in position with its endsprotruding through the opening 12 to assist in locking the loop againstdisplacement. The ends of the loop 13 are extended into arcuate hangerarms 14, which jointly extend through an arc of approximately 180", andwhich are adapted to straddle the stove pipe, their ends being bent intoupturned hooks 15 to engage the protrudingv ends of the damper rodjournaled through a stove pipe or other protuberances or projectionscarried by the stove pipe.

In use, the hanger arms 14 may readily be set astride one side of thestove pipe so that the hooks 15 may be engaged over the protruding endsof a damper rod journaled j through the stove pipe. For the purpose ofilli'lstration, a damper rod 1G has been illus trated in `Fig. 1, thesame being journaled l through the stove pipe 17, the hooks 15 bel ingshown engaged to the ends of the danil per rod with 'the flange 1lseating or resting j against the stove pipe so as to support the l rackelliectively from the stove pipe. The article supporting arms 9 may beextended when they are to be used, and when not in ik use, they may bereadily or compactly folded or retracted to a position adjoining orparallel with the stove pipe below the flange This device may be readilyattached and detached to and from the stove pipe, and is applicable tovarious stove pipes.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the character described, a plate, aWire loop resting thereagainst, the plate having means to engage thethroat of the loop, a securing member carried by the plate and passingthrough the bight of the l loop, the ends of the loop being extended linto hanger arms adapted to straddle an upright and having their endsprovided with means to engage projections at the sides of the upright,and article supporting arms carried by the said plate.

2. In a device of the character described,

an angle plate, one flange of which is seatable against an upright andhas an opening adjoining the bend, a plurality of article supportingarms carried by the other iiange, a ivire loop having its throat ttingthrough the opening in the former 'flange and having its bight securedto the former flange, the ends of the loop being extended into a pair ofhanger arms adapted to straddle an upright and having means at ltheirends to engage projections at the sides of the upright.

In a device of the character described, an angle plate, one flange ofWhich is seatable against a stove pipe and has an opening adjoining thebend, a plurality of article supporting arms carried by the otheriiange, a Wire loop having its throat iitting through the opening in theformer flange, and a securing member carried by the latter flange andengaging through the bight of the loop, the ends of the loop beingextended into arcuate hanger arms adapted to straddle the stove pipe andhaving their ends bent into upturned hooks to engage the protruding endsof a damper rod journaled through the stove pipe. l

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiixedmy signature in the presence of tivo Witnesses.

ARTHUR BIRDSLEY. Witnesses RHODA BURROWS, F. L. I-IoLLERAN.

Copieswof this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

